Sezgi > Sezgi's Quotes

“Gender non-conforming people face considerable distress not because we have a disorder, but because of stigma and discrimination. There is nothing wrong with us, what is wrong is a world that punishes us for not being normatively masculine or feminine.”
― Alok Vaid-Menon, Beyond the Gender Binary

“It’s not just that you internalize the shame; rather, it becomes you. You no longer need the people at school telling you not to dress like that; you already do it to yourself.”
― Alok Vaid-Menon, Beyond the Gender Binary

“I am sorry that the only way we have been taught to heal is to hurt.”
― Alok Vaid-Menon, Femme in Public

“we have been taught to fear the very things that have the potential to set us free”
― Alok Vaid-Menon

“The thing about shame is that it eats at you until it fully consumes you. Then you cannot tell the difference between their shame and your own— between a body and an apology.”
― Alok Vaid-Menon, Beyond the Gender Binary

“This is actually the purpose of language— to give meaning to concepts as they evolve.”
― Alok Vaid-Menon, Beyond the Gender Binary

“Some gender non-conforming people are nonbinary, and some are men and women. It depends on each person’s experience. Two people can look similar and be completely different genders. Gender is not what people look like to other people; it is what we know ourselves to be. No one else should be able to tell you who you are; that’s for you to decide.”
― Alok Vaid-Menon, Beyond the Gender Binary

“Gender-neutral language isn’t about replacing an old norm with a new one. People have the right to self-determine their gender whether it be a man, woman, or a nonbinary gender. The goal of gender-neutral language is to get rid of gender normativity, not everyone’s gender.”
― Alok Vaid-Menon, Beyond the Gender Binary

“We want a world where boys can feel, girls can lead, and the rest of us can not only exist but thrive. This is not about erasing men and women but rather acknowledging that man and woman are two of many—stars in a constellation that do not compete but amplify one another’s shine.”
― Alok Vaid-Menon, Beyond the Gender Binary

“Gender non-conformity is seen as something immature, something we have to grow out of to become adults.”
― Alok Vaid-Menon, Beyond the Gender Binary